


stronger than sticks, stones and steel

by notthebigspoon



Series: Stick 'Em Up [16]
Category: Baseball RPF
Genre: F/F, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-10-05
Updated: 2012-10-05
Packaged: 2017-11-15 16:27:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,421
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/529271
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/notthebigspoon/pseuds/notthebigspoon
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Just come home with us." </p><p>	"And what? Be the creepy best friend that never goes away?" </p><p>	"Damn it Ryan... y'know what? Fine. Stay. Who cares."</p><p>Title taken from Proud of The House We Built by Brooks & Dunn.</p>
            </blockquote>





	stronger than sticks, stones and steel

**Author's Note:**

> Stick Em Up future fic. Because for all that I torture and make Ryan miserable, he's going to get his happy ending. After all they've been through as a couple, they deserve The Happy in the end.

"Just come home with us." 

"And what? Be the creepy best friend that never goes away?" 

"Damn it Ryan... y'know what? Fine. Stay. Who cares."

Ryan doesn't look up from his spot on the recliner. The baby is cradled against his chest and he's gently holding her in place with one broad hand. Jalynne would find it beautiful if not for the hurt and frustrated look on Ryan's face.

It's a conversation they've been having since the baby was born a few weeks ago. While both Brandon and Jalynne's family had shown up to the hospital when Braylyn was born, they hadn't stayed more than a day or two. They'd looked askance at Ryan being present but he'd been too distracted by the fact that the baby was finally there to notice it. Brandon, Jalynne and Ryan have had three weeks of mostly interrupted bonding time with their daughter. When Ryan had flown home to Louisiana for Christmas, Brandon and Jalynne had went to LA for a few days before joining him in Baton Rouge.

They don't know what had happened in the few days they'd been apart but somebody had said something to Ryan that hadn't been good. He'd been happy to see them and so had the kids, and he'd been ecstatic to see Braylyn. In spite of his original uncertainty about the baby and them, since she was born, he's yet to act as if she was anything but his own. But there was something wrong. When they'd go to his parents or go somewhere with his kids and meet someone he knew, he'd tense up and not relax until they were home again.

Jalynne knows he's not ashamed. That's not how Ryan is. Which is why none of this makes sense. She sighs and sits on the arm of the chair after Brandon has stormed out the back door cursing, petting a hand through Ryan's hair, kissing him and then the top of Braylyn's head.

“Tell me what's going on. What happened before we got here?”

“It's been months. It's been a long time. I should be on my own by now. You guys can't take care of me forever. You're a young family, you'll want your privacy, time to get to know your baby and become a family without any interruptions.” Ryan recites, watching Braylyn's face with a pained expression. “She's not mine. You're not mine. I need to get out of the way and start living on my own again.”

She doesn't know who said these things to Ryan, who made him uncertain of his place in their family, but whoever it is, she is going to slap the shit out of them if she ever gets the chance. For now, she settles for stroking his cheek and tipping his chin up. He looks so sad. “Baby, that's ridiculous. You _are_ our family. Brandon and I love you, and we know you love us and Braylyn. I don't know if you're ready for it now, but whenever you are, you need to know that this is for the long haul and she's your girl too. We weren't even thinking about a baby when we got together with you. You've been a part of this from the very beginning. Never let anybody tell you that you don't belong with us.”

“I just don't know what to say. Mama's okay with it. Me and the kids walked over to see her with Braylyn earlier, she about went gaga over her 'new grandbaby'. Crazy what a kid will do to melt someone's heart, right? Dad doesn't really talk to me about it. He said to give him a while to get used to it. I can get that. I just don't know what to tell everybody else. And your families. I know they're wondering I'm still there. I'm not your responsibility. You don't owe me anything. You’ve gone above and beyond.”

“I told my family at Christmas. They don't know what to make of it but who cares.”

“... you did what?”

“I was tired of scrambling for answers too.” Jalynne grins. The look on his face is priceless. She kisses him again. “Brandon's holding out on his family. Doesn't know how they'll react. I told him to take his time. But they know you're with us. Mom and Dad want to meet you, probably to give you the fifth degree like they did Brandon. I don't know if they approve or not but they're going to deal. I'm not changing my mind. We all knew from the beginning that this wasn't going to be easy.”

“What if people find out? The public? I'd rather keep our lives to ourselves but what if they do?”

“We'll deal with it then. It'll probably blow peoples minds. Sister Wives, fuck that. Brother Husbands. Wait, that sounds weird.”

“Husband?”

“Eventually. You're mine and you're his. Vice versa.”

“I um... I didn't really know how to explain it and I don't think I did a good job but I may have told the kids that Daddy loves Aunt Jalynne and Uncle Brandon like their mom loves their step dad. Jo thinks it's weird but she's not going to interfere. Just told me if it upset the kids, she'd neuter me.” Ryan murmurs. “They're okay with it so far, don't think much of it. They're young, all they know is they loves you guys.”

“And we love them. And you, the creepy best friend that never goes away.” Jalynne mimics him, and she's relieved to see that he smiles. He's coming back to himself. “Now maybe you should go apologize to our man and tell him that you'll be coming home with us when it's time to go back to San Francisco. Not that we're leaving soon. We promised we'd split the time between our homes and we meant that.”

Ryan nods and kisses Jalynne. It's one of the reasons she knows this is a forever thing, the way her heart flutters and her lips tingle whenever he kisses her, the way her skin tingles when he touches her. The way she can't look at him and Brandon without that feeling of wonder at the fact that they're both hers, that she got lucky enough to get two men who love and adore her and their daughter, and three beautiful step kids that have accepted them like this is the most natural thing in the world.

He gets up and tugs on a hoodie, carefully bundling Braylyn up before heading out into the backyard. She follows him after hearing the back door shut, stopping in the kitchen and watching him out the window. Brandon's sitting on the backyard swing, rocking slowly, and Ryan sits next to him, their bodies pressed against each other from shoulder to knee. Brandon takes Braylyn automatically, clinging to her like she's a security blanket, and there's a soft and adoring smile on Ryan's face. They talk, heads ducked together and Ryan rubbing Brandon's thigh, Ryan pressing a kiss to Brandon's temple and then the corner of his mouth.

She can tell when Ryan tells him that he's ready for this to be his family, that he'll go home with them, because Brandon lights up like it's Christmas all over again before pressing a swift kiss to Ryan's lips. It grows more lighthearted after that, both of them elbowing each other and laughing, making fools of themselves over their girl. Brandon's in that stage of new parenthood, in love and amazed over creating something so tiny and perfect, just like Jalynne is. She knows Ryan feels the same, although he handles it a little bit better with three kids of his own, knowing all the right moves and what to do when any given thing happens, diaper changing and getting up in the night, everything.

She hears the front door open and the kids shouting before they're thundering through the house, declaring they're home from school and they're staying the night, Mama said it was okay even though it wasn't Daddy's turn. She kisses them hello, watches them run out into the yard to get their father and Uncle Brandon's attention. Seeing all of them together, the men she loves and their girls and their boy, and it overwhelms her. She wipes her eyes and smiles before moving to get started on the lasagna she'd promised to Ryan and Brandon.

This is her family, and fuck anyone who thinks that they can ruin that or take them away from her.


End file.
